The Delhi-based Human Welfare Foundation awarded 500 meritorious Muslim students and three best minority schools namely Al-Ameen Mission, Moulana Azad Academy and Rahmate Alam Mission of West Bengal in an ‘Award Distribution Ceremony’ held at Mahajati Sadan, Kolkata, West Bengal on November 29. These students were given mementos, citation and one thousand cash prize each for scoring more than 70% marks in their board examination held in West Bengal. These toppers were from diffe...

Noted economist and Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council member V.S. Vyas on December 6 called for giving an “ethical orientation” to the planning process by adopting moral principles common to all religions to ensure equitable growth and address distortions of the modern economic system. Addressing a dialogue on “Ethical issues in planning and development” at Yojana Bhavan in Jaipur, Prof. Vyas said Islamic economic principles could provide answers to so...

“Sachar Committee has indicated in his report that Muslim leadership is also responsible for the backwardness of Muslims in India. If a Muslim or Christian changes his/her religion to accept Hinduism and falls in the category of Scheduled Caste i.e. Datil community, he/she can get reservation but if a Dalit Hindu accepts Islam or Christianity he/she cannot get reservation after changing his or her religion. No voice has been raised even after 63 years of independence by Muslim leadershi...

“The demolition of Babri Masjid is not only a demolition of one mosque but the demolition of the Constitution of India. First, the Constitution has been demolished on December 6, 1992, and second time the demolition took place on September 30, 2010 when Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court gave its verdict on the Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhumi dispute on the basis of faith rather than on facts. The Astha of some communal elements has been considered in this judgement while the

Reports that the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) did not find any ‘substantial incriminating evidence’ against Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 riots case has created uproar amongst activists. The SIT has submitted its report to the Apex Court on allegations levelled by Zakia Jafri, wife of former Congress MP Ahsan Jafri, who was killed in the riots in Gulbarg Society. The information, based on leaked reports, was not confirmed by SIT off...

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has sought the Supreme Court’s nod to probe former Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah’s role in the killing of Tulsiram Prajapati, an eyewitness in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case. In its final probe report on Sohrabuddin case, submitted to the court recently, the CBI had expressed suspicion that Shah, a close aide of Chief Minister Narendra Modi, could be involved in Prajapati’s killing. Sohrabuddin, an alleged gangster, was...

Taking note of bosses in anti-corruption department indulging in corrupt practices, a city court on December 3 ordered registration of a criminal case against joint commissioner of police (Vigilance) and against suspended special commissioner of police (anti-corruption). The two are accused of implicating a crime branch inspector and two police officers in a false corruption case by forging investigation records. Exposing the corruption racket run by the top bosses of vigilance department and...

Posing several questions to the Maharashtra government on its investigation in the November 26, 2008, attacks in the city, the Bombay High Court asked whether there was a system failure in passing information and whether the police investigated the alleged ‘deep rooted conspiracy’ behind the death of former Anti-Terrorism Squad’s chief Hemant Karkare. A division bench of justices BH Marlapalle and UD Salvi also asked the government whether there were any more terrorists in t...